Listen

"Phoebe, hurry up! We're going to be late to be in that cursed art class!" Amy said, or screamed, as we ran to the art class upstairs.

"Calm down, Velasquez! We'll be just fine. It's just you and your thirst of art that feel that way." I said to her as we entered the art class. "See? Nothing happened." I said as she grinned and sat on her chair.

The kids were continuing their project from last week's meeting. Since I've finished it and it only need some touch on it, I only need to grab a brush and started to touch it up.

I just remember that Joel, Amy's friend, brought my painting equipments a week ago and haven't returned it to me. But, instead of bragging Amy about it, I decided to brought one from my teacher. I'm not that kind of person that likes to brought up small problems.

I asked for a brush to Mrs. Stanley, and after she gave me one, I did the little touch up near the teacher's table. So I don't have to move so far from where Mrs. Stanley put her equipment.

That's when Mr. Eckhart came in and I overheard their conversations. Which I wish I hadn't.. Or thanks god I did?

"So.. How's the kids' score so far? They do have enough scores to take the final tests?" Mr. Eckhart asked her. She supposed to be laughed, or giggled, or chuckled, but she wasn't. It wasn't a good sign, indeed.

Her voice was low, "Everything's fine, Greg. It's just.. That one boy. He had been absent for this whole 2 months. He left all of his credits unattended. I don't know if I should gave him a chance to take the final test."

"Oh. That boy. Yeah, I've heard about him multiple times. What happened to this kid, exactly?" Mr. Eckhart asked her, in the same low voice. "You don't know?" Mrs. Stanley asked him and he responded in a faint "No."

I couldn't hear the next thing that Mrs. Stanley said to Mr. Eckhart (blame my ears), but all I could hear that he lost the ability to walk and there's something wrong with his neuron so there's some impact to his impulse or something like that.

I flinched a bit, what I just heard is just.. Mindblowing. Someone, at my age, on my school was a cripple by now? I felt nothing but sympathy. It haunted me though, the deep sympathy thingy, since I'm a very sensitive person when it came to humanity.

"Yeah, he was young and smart. It's too bad that boy was, seems like, unable to take the final test. Wait, what's his name once again?" Mr. Eckhart asked as I rolled my eyes. What does he know? He was like the most absent-minded teacher in this whole school.

"Darcy.. Or Darwin..? Something like that." Mrs. Stanley answered him. "Well, okay then Mrs. Stan, I think I'm going to get back to my work, to check how well were the other classes." Mr. Eckhart said and went away.

Darwin? Darcy? I don't think I've heard that names before. I am not a person who get curious that easy, but.. It hitted me though, because I spend my time listening to music with loud volumes. I know what it feels like, to have music as my safe haven, but this guy.. I just need to find him.

-------------

I was talking to my friend, Shayla, and just about to ask her if she knew anyone named Darren or Darwin, whom I heard this morning about him being disabled. And it bother me a lot, I was quite puzzled and interested on finding out about him. I was so close to get another information, until..

"Oh hey Shay, do you kn..." before I finished my question, my phone rang and a big bold name of the caller written on the screen, Mom. "Ugh, right. Just when I'm about to ask something important." I groaned and Shay was chuckling at me. "Go answer it first, Phoebs."

I rolled my eyes and pressed the answer button, "Hello?" and a familiar voice was on the other line, "Phoebe? Hey. Are you home yet?" my mom asked me, sounds pretty panicked. "Nope. I have free period on the last hours, though. What's wrong, mom?" I answered and asked her at the same time.

"I need to drop some archives on the Town Hall for the DA, and I've made a doctor appointment for Riordan at 3. Can you go take him to the clinic?" she asked, "My boss asked me in all of a sudden and your dad was just take off to Glasgow, I...."

I grinned to hear her statement. My mother was always be a nervous wreck when it comes to an urge of something. "I'll take him there, mom. Don't worry." I said as she sighed in relief, "Thanks God.. Thank you, Phoebe. I'll be home as soon as I could, okay? I gotta go now, I love you." mom said in a rush.

I looked at Shayla, as she raised her eyebrows, asking me what's up. "I need to go and pick Riordan up for his dentist's appointment." I said and fake a pout on my face. "Oh. Too bad." Shayla said and fake a pout too.

"Aw, I'm very sorry, Shay." I said and hugged her. She giggled, "Naah, that'll be okay miss Allen, if you escort me to my locker." she said as I nodded, "That's not a big deal." I answered as we walked to the locker together.

"Ugh, I haven't cleaned up my locker." she huffed as she opened her locker and take her English textbook. I rested my back on the locker next to her and chuckled to hear her statement.

"You're so lucky that you don't have a girl like Myronn owned the locker next to you." I said as she giggled, "Yeah. People here are cool. No one really cared about making out in front of the locker. Stephanie Jones, Diane Hart, Tommy Joe, Callum Johnson."

Callum Johnson.

The guy I met on my first day of school. The guy I used to have a crush on. The guy that completely the opposite of the guy I used to think.

Who am I kidding? He's one of the most popular guys in my school now, one of the guys that made it to the popular 'clique' in the school. Girls are after him. He went to lots of parties everyday.

Tragic how I used to have a huge crush on him. I hate him now, though. I don't even have any exact reasons why I hated him a lot.

Well, not that kind of hate. I just.. I hate the way he changed. I feel like I lost one of my friend to the so-said glamorous world.

"It's been a while since the last time I saw Callum, anyway. Maybe he's on a trip to Europe or..... Phoebs?" Shay waved her hands in front of my face. "Yeah?" was all I responded.

"What up?" Shay asked me as I shook my head, "Nah, I'm just thinking about what was I going to think before." I said, narrowed my eyes. That is absolutely one lame excuse. "What'd you said earlier?" I asked Shay and she smiled.

"Nah, it's not a biggie. I thought you were going to pick Riordan up and things." she narrowed her eyes and giggled at me. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." I nodded a few times, "See you tomorrow, Shay!" I said and left her.

***********************

I sat on the bench, while chewing on my Wrigley's and waiting for Riordan to came out from the room. He's a brave little boy, I could tell. I mean, I couldn't even brace myself to go into the dentist's room until I was 13 or more.

I looked at the clock and decides to get off the bench to buy some hot chocolate or anything. Riordan would take a pretty long time to get off the dentist's seat, anyway. Since he's brave and got loads of cavity problem on his teeth.

I walked to the vending machine and and was looking for some coins when I heard a pretty familiar voice from behind me.

I flickered my eyes a little and changed my mind right after that. It was just another illusion of mine, wasn't it? I shook my head and shrugged everything off from my mind as I inserted the coin into the machine.

I picked up my hot chocolate and turned my body around. I almost dropped my jaw when I saw who queued behind me, on a wheelchair.

"Callum?" I said in a total shock tone. He raised his head and looked at my face as a smile appeared on his face, "Phoebe? Hi! It's a surprise to meet you here."

I was about to ask him why'd he's on a wheelchair, but I endured it as I ask him something else. "What do you want to drink? Here, let me help you." I said as he flashed me another bright smile, "Naah. I can do it on my own, really."

He picked his coffee and sipped it. "Why are you on a wheelchair?" I asked him bluntly, he chuckled and sipped his coffee again, "I'm, as you could see, is currently sick." he answered.

"Just sick?" I asked him and he nodded, "It's quite a long story." he answered. We had a little chit-chat before the nurse called his name through the speakers, "Callum Darren Irwin Johnson."

"Oh, I gotta go now. See you later okay?" he said and waved his hand. Before his wheelchair moved a few inch, he moved back at me and said, "I'll tell you what up when you come here again. Feel free." he chuckled and left.

The nurse called his name again and he rolled his wheel faster, "Callum Darren Irwin Johnson." I grinned right after he left, again, without any exact reason.

I looked at him, who was tirelessly moving the wheel of his wheelchair until his back missing behind the white door. I wonder what happened to him. It could be his reckless driving behaviour or his weird hobby to climbed up a tree and rolled off..maybe.

I mean, I already know that he had some problem on his knee since we're in the 10th grade. He said his knees were hollow. The left knee was somewhat more hollow that his right one. And I have no idea what made it so.

"Chill. My knees won't cause a thing. This isn't a big deal, really." he said as he knocked at his knee and it made a 'knock-knock' sound.

"But..." I started as he spoke again, "As a guy who came from doctors' family, I told you once again that this knees right here," knock-knock "Aren't going to make any catastrophes." he said.

I rolled my eyes, "Well that's not my point. Okay if your knees won't cause a thing, but there must be something that causing 'em to be hollow, right?" I asked him again. "Well, yes. But I..." he said as I smiled.

"You haven't figured that out?" I cut him off. He looked at me and narrowed his eyes. "You're such a defensive person." he said and I shrugged, "This whole future doctor and future lawyer's argument will continued, doc." I said as he chuckled.

That good old time's conversation popped out of my head and made me smile. I was going to head back to where I sat before, right before reality hit me.

His name is Callum Darren Irwin Johnson. With a wheelchair.

My breath hitched as I remember what my teachers said earlier. But I shook my head and trying to shook everything that I just thought, off my head and headed back to Riordan, who was already there, showing me his white teeth.